Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam Review

AD info | This set was sent to me by Coco & Eve to review. This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.

As someone who doesn’t tan easily and avoids the sun whenever they can (I’m afraid I can’t say the same for 18-year old me who used to sunbathe at any given chance!), fake tan is pretty much the only way for me to achieve a healthy, summer glow.

I’ve tried a bunch of different tanning products, from lotions to mousses to self-tanning drops, but I often find that the results aren’t as a natural or long-lasting as I’d like. I mean, who wants to spend ages applying fake tan only to find that it’s super patchy and orange after it develops?!

I’m a massive fan of Coco & Eve (check out my review of their shampoo and conditioner here) and have been eyeing up their Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam for the longest time. Seriously, there must have been a reason it sold out four times in a row after its launch!

The Bronzing Foam was released in 2019 and continues to be a firm favourite among avid self tanners. It’s lightweight, fast-drying and supposedly doesn’t have that signature fake tan ‘biscuit smell’… count me in!

I’m not an expert by any means and have kind of steered clear of self-tan products recently (I’m VERY lazy when it comes to fake tanning), so I was more than ready to dive back in. Coco & Eve very kindly sent me their Bali Bae Self Tan Set to try out and, armed with all the tanning equipment I could possibly need, I figured there’s no way I could mess it up.

Because I am quite pale, I chose the shade ‘Medium’ because wanted it to look as natural as possible. Keep reading to find out how I got on with the Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam and whether it lives up to the hype…

What’s in the Bali Bae Self Tan Set?

While using the Coco & Eve bronzing foam doesn’t require any fancy accessories, it definitely helps to have a few tanning tools on hand. The Bali Bae Self Tan Set comes with four items to make the application process as simple as possible:

• 1x Bali Bronzing Foam (you can choose from Medium, Dark and Ultra Dark)
• 1x Deluxe Vegan Kabuki Brush
• 1x Soft Velvet Tanning Mitt
• 1x Back Tan Applicator

Prepping for your Coco & Eve self-tan

I always struggle with fake tan application – it looks fine when I apply it but not so much when I wash the guide colour off! Surprisingly, the Coco & Eve bronzing foam went on fairly easily… and it looked good after I’d showered too!

The key to an even tan is in the prep work, so I made sure to shave and exfoliate the day before I self-tanned. Coco & Eve recommend leaving 12 to 24 hours between hair removal and tanning to allow the hair follicles to close (otherwise you can end up with tiny dots where the product has pooled). The brand even has their own exfoliating mitt so you can perfectly prep your skin and avoid any unevenness.

On the day you’re set to apply your self-tan, avoid using any perfumes, deodorants, body oils or moisturisers. Honestly, the first time I used this I skipped over the instructions and moisturised beforehand. Big mistake! It was already looking patchy as I rubbed the product in! If you want this to be even and streak-free, it’s best to apply the Bali Bronzing Foam on clean, dry skin.

You can apply a tiny bit of moisturiser to super dry areas (or areas the foam is likely to cling to) like your hands, wrists, knees and elbows, but in general you should avoid moisturising all over.

Applying the bronzing foam

Once you’ve prepped, you can start applying the foam! I used the Soft Velvet Tanning Mitt to rub the product into easy-to-reach places like my arms, leg, stomach etc. and the Back Tan Applicator for, you guessed it, my back.

The Bali Bae set also comes with a Kabuki Brush, which came in super handy for areas like my hands, feet, wrists and ankles where I wanted to be a bit more careful with the placement of the product.

As the Coco & Eve website recommends, I used sweeping movements to apply the tan to my skin. It dries pretty quickly so it’s best to get it on as soon as you can! The guide colour makes it easy to see where you’ve applied the product and you can always go back and touch it up if you notice you’ve missed a spot.

How long does it take to develop?

The bronzing foam dried down really quickly which meant I could dress myself and get on with other tasks while I waited for it to develop. I’m don’t really like sleeping in fake tan, so I decided to leave it on for a couple of hours before showering.

Surprisingly, the tan had actually developed quite a lot in the 2.5 hours since I’d applied it – I initially wasn’t sure if that would be enough time to see a difference!

If you want a deeper tan, you can leave the product on longer, but I actually really liked the results after 2.5 hours and continued to leave it on for this amount of time each time I applied it.

Results & final thoughts

I’ve honestly been really impressed by the Coco & Eve Bali Bronzing Foam. As you can see from the pictures below, the resulting tan is really natural and even. With other brands I sometimes find that the lightest fake tan shade can be quite orangey, but ‘Medium’ actually works perfectly on my pale skin. It gives me a healthy, bronzed glow that actually looks like it could be from sitting out in the sun.

I love that this fades pretty evenly, so I don’t end up with patchy areas as the tan disappears. Because I tend to only leave it on for a couple of hours, it does fade quite quickly but, as I mentioned before, you can leave it to develop for a longer period of time if you want a longer-lasting tan.

Scent-wise, I do like the tropical smell it has – it’s sweet and summery. However, it only really smells like this when the product is developing. After I wash off the guide colour in the shower, I feel like that classic fake tan biscuit scent starts to appear. I personally don’t mind this too much but it’s something to bear in mind if you do find that distinctive fake tan smell too heady!

Overall, I’m really pleased with the results. Before using this foam, I wasn’t expecting the tan to look as natural as it does and I also wasn’t expecting application to be so easy. It gives me a streak-free, healthy glow which is exactly what I want from a tanning product. If you’re looking to switch up your current fake tan, or even dip into self-tanning for the first time, I definitely recommend giving this one a go – it’s great for beginners and habitual tanners alike.

Where can I get the Coco & Eve Bronzing Foam?

You can buy the bronzing foam or the Bali Bae Self Tan Set directly from the Coco & Eve website. Using my code ELLEN15 will give you 15% off your first order. Or find the bronzing foam on:

Have you tried Coco & Eve’s Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam? Are there any other self-tan products you’d like me to review? Let me know!